Chapter 1

Kaoru had learned to enjoy her insanity. It was far better than reality.

She wandered aimlessly through a field of swords. They had all been thrust tips down into the soft earth; their tattered and worn hilts glowing red thanks to the setting sun behind her. Over head, screams rose and fell like thunder and bloody rain fell from a cloudless sky. she clenched her hands, resisting the urge to shudder. The sound of snapping greenery reached her ears. she looked down and realized she clutched a handful of dandelion flowers; their stems broken and bleeding crimson blood all over her hand. She dropped them with a gasp, their fuzzy heads filled with seeds scattering as they fell.

"Make a wish, sweetheart. Make a dandelion wish," a familiar voice whispered. Kaoru dropped to her knees amongst the broken flowers and the swords standing silent around her.

~

There were so many chains. Their weight made her breathless as they pushed her rentlessly into the floor. Only her head was left free. She heard the sound of slow footsteps drawing closer. Then a pair of boot clad feet came into her limited view. Kaoru twisted against the chains, making them rattle, trying to look up. she finally managed to turn her head at the needed angle. Her blue eues found the smirking face of her victim as he raised a gilded sword. The weapon had Commander Katsura's crysanthmum stamp on it. As he raised the sword for the beheading blow, light flashed off the golden stamp. To her, it looked like a yellow dandelion.

~

Bright, hot orange flames danced without patters or music, save for the crackle of wood. They licked closer and closer to her feet. She curled her toes away, trying to ignore the slowly intensifiying sensation of burning. The pain was just like the flames, bright and hot. Kaoru didn't cry out. She learned to never cry out. There was a grunt, and suddenly the searing heat turned into biting cold. she looked down at her hands. A crown of flowers fell from her head and landed on the burning ground. Dandelions. A bucket fell at her feet. She realized she had been painted blood red. 

~

Kaoru forced her eyes open, and instead of recedeing the sensation of being wet and cold remained with her. Her eyes fell on a pair of sandled feet just outside her cell, a bucket thumped down next to them; a few drops of water trickling down the side.

"On your feet, Kamiya," the guard ordered.

Kaoru forced herself to obey. She slowly and painfully tested her limbs, sending her chains clattering. Her previously flithy, matted hair was now a filthy, matted, sodden mess that slid around her shoulders and back in a way that had her biting back the urge to gag.

The guard grew impacient and opened her cell. She had just barely made it to supporting herself on her hands and knees when he roughly grasped her by the upper arm and jerked her too her feet. Her body, unused to the acticity made its protests known, but Kaoru ignored them and let the guard drag her from the cell. It wasn't hard, she probably didn't even weigh a hundred pounds, despite being soaking wet. The guard forced her to find her feet, then let her go. Kaoru felt herself setle into a semi-upright position that she almost had forgotten her body could manage.

The guard prodded her in the back, sending her shufflig forward. She was so busy concentrating on walking, the jeers of the other prisoners didn't bother her at all.

"Ho! Ho! Someone's headed for the gallows!"

"Swish! Crack! Pray your neck breaks, bitch!"

The guard pulled out his sheathed sword and slapped at few bars, no doubt breaking a few fingers. From the corner of her eye, Kaoru noted the deep grey color of his gi, coupled with the black hakama. He was one of the captians that guarded the line.

"Silence on the line," he roared, "I'll favor the next bastard that speaks with the nine 'o tails!"

They shut up. Kaoru iddn't blame them at all for their compliance. Whippings on the capital crime's line were brutal. And yes, she knew from experience. She contined shuffling forward; her chains making it impossible to take long strides.

So, her excution day had arrived. Kaoru sighed at the thought. Finally.

The stairs were harder, and the guard was impacient; but she made it up out of the dungeons by her own feble power. Her first breath of air, not tainted by the filth, and rot of the dungeons was beautiful beyond words. The guard suddenly took the lead, dragging her along by her chains. She noticed that she left a trail of filth and slime behind her. Kaoru felt her lips twitch in an attempt at a smile.

Then...they passed a window.

Kaoru felt tears well up in her eyes. It was the sight of the sky that did it. That perfect expanse of perfect blue. Wonderful and encompassing and...perfect. Her eyes took in the sight of the spring flowers, realizing dimly that she had been in the Commander's dungeon for almost a year now. A breeze blew in through the window, and chilled the water and tears on her face.

Wonderful.

She was jerked forward by the guard, and stumbled. She regained her footing, a sudden, wild, and fierce hope welling up inside her.

She hoped the gallows were out underneathe that blue sky...

Shadows,

I have discovered something important about Shishio, Yumi, and Takeda. There is a direct link between all three of them, Soujiro as well. That link, gose by the name Megumi Takani. She was a med-student up until a couple of years ago, now she is the head of all of Shishio's meth labs. Takeda found her through Kohei, when the latter called in the loans that her parents owed a loan shark under him. Her parents died in a car accident, icy road, night, bridge, you get the picture. The police reports say the brakes of the car were in disrepair. We both know what that means. Megumi was taken into Takeda's "care" soon after, under the threat of death by "accident" as well. She works until she pays off her parents debt, which she has done already, probably several times over. But of course, that doesn't matter in the least to Takeda, he had found a goose that lays golden eggs. Megumi knows how to make meth cheaply and quickly, nice to know college is god for something... Tell Saitou that Megumi will give you all the information he needs to nail Takeda for the drugs riddling the streets, and all he has to do is offer her a hand out of the hole she has ended up in. It may be a little hard to get her alone, however. Takeda keeps very close tabs on her. The best time to contact her, would be when she is working down with Yumi. Soujiro keeps to sharp and eye out.

Keep safe,

Light

Dear Light,

First, thank you for you insightful knowledge into Shishio, I had no idea about Yumi, and her imaculate file keeping. I have forwarded that information onto the Feds, post haste. Your knowledge of Kamiya's buisness was also helpful, I have not had a chance to look into her at all. It gives me a firm base to start with. Please include anything else you know on any of the other figure heads in you next missive. 

As for what I know, Soujiro's participation in Shishio's dealings was known to me, in fact, I have had to deal with that man face to face more than once. To be perfectly honest, he unsettles me. His polite and unflappable demenor make him very hard to read. I have been working for the past few weeks on looking into his connections with Shishio, and how far his network extends into business world. I will be tied up on that project probably for a couple more weeks. If you could do all you can to learn more about Yumi and her network in the lower class, that would be wonderful. After we both finish with our individual investigations, we can move onto other targets. 

I have told the Feds about the two women you mentioned by name to me. Saitou assures me that he will be contacting both of them in the coming weeks. Keep looking into Kamiya, should you have a spare moment. And I will begin to work on Kohei. I have had some dealings with the man directly, and may be able to discover more about him. 

Stay safe,

Shadows

Dear Shadows,

First, that's a rather strange name to be called by. You leave me little choice but to refer to myself as Light, since it is partner to shadows. And I am anything but Light. 

Thank you for the ring, it does bring me comfort to know that I have a quick way out if nessary. I hope it is not. Quite the clever idea, though. 

To get down to business: it's good you are taking care of the Battousai, because I know little about him. Shishio I can help you with, I know a good deal about him and his dealings. Kamiya I also can handle, I think. I hope you can take Gohei, because I see no easy way for me to get close to him. As for Kohei, perhaps we could split him down the middle? I know some of his dealings, but not the kind of in depth that the Feds will want. 

To be more speific:
Shishio - One of his biggest dealers is a man named Soujiro. He's a business man that works for a company on Wall Street. The customers that he deals to are mostly the upper class elite. They pay big bucks for the high quality stuff. If you need more info on his street dealers look up Yumi down on the lower east side. She heads up Shishio's head branch for the lower class dealing. I know that she keeps very, very, very, detailed books in case the rug ever gets yanked out from under Shishio. I think she uses it in order to have something to hold over Takeda in case he ever decides to dump Shishio. She's very loyal, tell the Feds they can use that. Paint a picture where her cooperation helps Shishio and she'll cough up those files. 
Kamiya - runs four houses. Two in the red light district, and two upper level hotels for the rich and famous that want to keep their...intrests on the down low. There are several working girls that can give you specfics on the hows - Tsubame Aki and Tae Beko. Both were pressed into service about four years ago, after Takeda threatened their families. They will jump at the chance to join our effort. Kamiya's supplier, her...slaver, is a man by the name of Marcus Tyler. Hunt him down at your earliest convience. He "supplies" several other houses in the city, names he's never shared, but I know he hides his files in a lock box at New York City Bank. Tell the Feds all they have to do is arrange a bust in the back room of "The Poinsetta" resturant Saturday nights from ten to midnight, and they've got probable cause to sepeina the Bank for that lock box. 

I must finish this off, otherwise I won't be able to roll it up tight enough. 

Yours, 

Light

Kaoru steadied herself, then turned the corner, taking the nessary small quick steps that made the front of her kimono artfully shift. This hallway lead to the guest bedrooms of Takeda's mansion. When the head council met, the meetings often ran into the late hours. Tonight was the first night of contact with her unknown partner. Kaoru swallowed, beginning to think that she wasn't cut out for this espinoage thing, it was far to nerve racking. 

Takeda had absolutly horrid taste. She thought the excat same thing, every time she walked down any of the hallways in his mansion. The walls were covered in lewd, and pornographic "art" in gauady frames. The gilded frames were these hulking things that usually fought the art piece for attention. 

Agent Saitou's voice was cool and calm in her mind, as Kaoru thought back to his descriptions of where she would find, and where she would leave messages for her partner. 

There is a painting in the hallway to the guest bedrooms that isn't in any of the camera's visuals. It's a small space of about three feet. It's the painting of the naked woman with blue hair sprawled over the red car. The frame comes off the wall just a bit, leaving enough space at the top of the picture for a rolled up piece of paper. That's the drop off point. It works in exchange, he will leave the first one. When the next meeting occurs that runs over, and you end up spending the night, that's the next exchange. The hallway is frequently used by all of you, along with maids, butlers and the help. So when you drop it off, be alert. And don't stop infront of the painting for God's sake. We don't want to bring attention to the fact that there are places in his mansion that aren't fully covered. 

Three feet. That's all the had. Kaoru looked up carefully, she could see the camera at the end of the hall. She knew there was another pointed at her back. The painting Saitou had spoken of was coming up on her right, three feet he had said. The painting itself was about three feet. She risked a glance over her shoulder. No one was there. She listened hard, beyond her breathing, she could hear no footsteps. 

She passed by the edge of the painting. Kaoru acted. Quick at thought, she snapped up her right arm, and trailed her fingers along the top of the frame. She found dust. She continued walking at a normal pace, dragging her fingertips thorugh the dust. She stiffened when she came in contact with something. She slipped her finger into the rolled up paper, and dropped her arm. She curled her fingers, bringing them into the confines of her kimono sleeve. She dropped the note into the long sleeve, knowing it would come to rest at the bottom corner of the silk. 

Kaoru walked into the view of the camera at the end of the hall, and on screen, it was as if nothing had happened.